Dozens of politicians and activists met in Vienna over the weekend for the European Patriots Conference, held under the banner Peace, Freedom and Security.
The event was hosted by former Austrian vice-chancellor Hans-Christian Strache and headlined by Filip Dewinter, vice-president of Belgium’s Vlaams Belang and a member of the Flemish parliament. Also on stage were Irmhild Boßdorf of Alternative for Germany, Dutch MP Thierry Baudet of Forum for Democracy, Enzo Alias of France’s Patriots Network, Laszlo Sipos of the European Parliament’s ESN group and Dutch senator Joris van den Oetelaer. Several of the parties represented are monitored by security services in Germany and Austria as far-right movements. Video messages came from former US congressman Steve King and Laszlo Toroczkai, leader of Hungary’s Our Homeland Movement.
Speakers accused Europe’s “left-wing elites” of enabling Islamist influence, pointing to neighborhoods run under sharia rules, pro-Palestinian rallies dominated by Islamist symbols and a string of terror attacks. They argued that left-leaning parties advance Arab interests in EU institutions under the guise of fighting Islamophobia.
The sharpest criticism targeted French President Emmanuel Macron. Participants said he ignores France’s social and economic unrest while pushing, together with Saudi Arabia, a UN conference that could lead to recognition of a Palestinian state — a move they claim fits Iran’s agenda and undermines Israel’s security.
Paris rejected that charge. But after the G7 summit on June 17, Macron told reporters that “the biggest mistake today would be to try to change the Iranian regime by military means because that would lead to chaos… France never supports actions that destabilize the region.”
The Élysée and Riyadh also announced on June 13 that their planned UN gathering had been postponed “in light of the current regional escalation” and would resume “when conditions allow.”
Several speakers linked current French policy to history, recalling how Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was granted political asylum near Paris in the late 1970s. From his residence in Neauphle-le-Château, which effectively functioned as an unofficial headquarters, he issued directives to his supporters and distributed his speeches and fatwas via cassette tapes before Air France flew him back to Tehran. They argued that this reflects a pattern of leniency toward Tehran that still resonates today.
Conference organizers also highlighted France’s rising antisemitism. A CRIF/SPCJ report logged 1,570 incidents in 2024, including 106 violent attacks — the highest figure in a decade. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal added that 366 incidents were recorded in the first quarter alone, three times the figure in the same period last year.
Closing the gathering, Dewinter urged Europe to form a united pro-Israel front and stand firm against Islamist regimes. “We must stand with the only democracy in the Middle East,” he said. “As long as Paris continues this appeasement course, the gap with Jerusalem will keep growing.”
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